Outflanking Speaker Pelosi

The Capital Hill drama continues today as Republican House members who are demanding a vote on energy policy take to the floor of the House today - while the Democrats in the House are on vacation. If you missed the fireworks on Friday, go to this American Thinker column now.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi was on This Week with George Stephanopoluous and he pressed her hard on why she was not allowing a vote on the issue. Speaker Pelosi could not give Stephanopolous a straight answer.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, HOST: You've been getting a lot of heat for not allowing a straight up or down vote expanding drilling off the coasts of the United States. Why won't you permit a straight up or down vote?

NANCY PELOSI, SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: What we have presented are options that will really make a difference at the pump. Free our oil, Mr. President. We're sitting on 700 million barrels of oil. That would have an immediate effect in ten days. What our colleagues are talking about is something that won't have an effect for ten years and it will be 2 cents at the time. If they want to present something that's part of an energy package, we're talking about something. But to single shoot on something that won't work and mislead the American people as to thinking it's going to reduce the price at the pump, I'm just not going to be a part of it.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Except it’s not just Republicans that are calling for this. Members of your own caucus say we must have a vote. Congressman Jason Altmire, let me show our viewers right now, says, “There is going to be a vote. September 30 will not come and go without a vote on the opening the Outer Continental Shelf. The message has been delivered. The issue can't be ignored any longer.” He says he speaks for a lot of Democrats. He's talked to the leadership and a vote must happen.

PELOSI: Maybe it will, as part of a larger energy package. Let's step back, call a halt and put this in perspective. What we have now is a failed energy policy by the Bush/Cheney, two oilmen in the White House. $4 a gallon gasoline at the pump. And what they're saying is let's have more of the same. Let's have more of big oil making, record profits, historic profits. You see the quarterly reports that just came out, who want to be subsidized who don't really want to compete. Let them use the subsidies to drill oil in protected areas. Instead we're saying, free the oil. Use it, don't lose it. There's 68 million acres in lower 48 and 20 million more acres in Alaska where they're permitted where they could drill anytime. This is a diversionary tactic from failed energy policies.

Notice how quick she is to try to pin HER failure on President Bush? To his credit - Stephanopolous didn't put up with it.

STEPHANOPOULOS: But if you feel you have the better arguments, why not give a straight up or down vote for drilling?

PELOSI: Because the misrepresentation is being made that this is going to reduce the price at the pump. This is again a decoy, it’s not a solution.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, if you’re right, why not let it be debated out and have the vote?

New technologies allowed the House Republicans to get the word out about what they were doing. Blog Talk Radio led the charge. They reported it first and longest staying with the story until late Friday night. I have no doubt that they will be covering it in depth again today. In addition, you can follow the action on Twitter where Reps. John Culberson and Pete Hoekstra Twittered the action Friday or you can follow it on Rep. Mike Pence's blog. Either way, don't want for the Main Stream Media to cover this protest - turn to Main STREET Media. I know I will be.

UPDATE: this will stay at the top of the page today as I update it. First update - Rep. Culberson is posting videos of what is going on. Keep it bookmarked today and refresh often.

UPDATE 1: Rep. Culberson has posted a video interview of Rep. Mike Pence who is talking about the American Energy Act that the Republicans are trying to get debate and a vote on. All they are asking for is debate - is the Speaker that unsure of her stand that she is afraid to debate the issue?

UPDATE 2: MSNBC is even calling this a "Revolution" and they are acknowledging that it won't be televised.

UPDATE 3: From Robert Bluey's Twitter report:

Rep. Mike Conaway had a great line: "Nancy Pelosi's 'save the planet' fee is $4 gasoline."

OUCH! Townhall's group blog is also covering this.

UPDATE 4: Rep. John Boehner's blog is live blogging this. Minnesota's own JOHN KLINE spoke today!

“There’s a saying that everything has been said but not everyone has said it, now it’s my turn. The question is what has Congress has done about the price of gasoline. The answer: Congress has done nothing.”

I miss that man already...

UPDATE 5: again from Rep. Boehner's blog - this time Rep. Mike Pence.

“The American people won’t get a vacation from high gasoline prices, so why should Congress take a five week vacation?”

A five week vacation at taxpayer expense that is.....

UPDATE THE LAST? Blogger is having FTP publishing issues. I don't know how many more updates I will be able to post until they clear this up. I'l going to run to the store and hopefully by then I will be fixed.

THE REAL FINAL UPDATE: Hopefully the FTP will be more cooperative tomorrow. Not much was reported after my last update (which is probably a good thing) but the House Republican Caucus will be back at it tomorrow. How long will this continue? I don't know - I do know that President Bush has indicated that he is not inclined toward calling Congress back at this point in time. Will he change his mind? I guess we need to stay tuned to find out for sure.